Kidnap
by Wr1
Summary: Lucy get kidnapped one night and Lee's put it on himself to find her. If he does how does Lucy learn to cope with what has happened and will she learn to trust Lee again? WARNING; mentions of kidnap, violence, rape and other upsetting themes. Nothing graphic though so I'm rating it a T. First chapter is an explanation.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi! I've got a new multi chapter fic that will end up 13 chapters long..I think.**_

 _ **I will begin to write it after I've finished Baby. It will be a dark fic with some slightly upsetting themes running through it.**_

 _ **The summary is... Lucy get kidnapped one night and it's up to Lee to find her. Will he? And if he does how will they both cope?**_

 _ **Let me know what you guys think of it because the idea has been stuck in my head for a while and they're slightly out of character because Lucy ends up vulnerable although I do explain that. I'm rubbish at even attempting to write in character and I apologise for that.**_

 _ **In good news Not Going Out is back for a Christmas Special and a possible series 8. We'll get to find out what Lee and Lucy are like as a couple and I'm really excited about that but I've got to get through the rest of the year first!**_

 _ **Let me know what you guys think via reviews, PM, favourites or follows.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**New story! I've wanted to write this one for a while but I wanted to finish 'Baby' first. That one turned out harder than I thought. I've got a few warnings for this fic as it is a bit dark and contains some scenes and aspects that might upset some people. I will continue to warn you as the story goes along. I apologise if that is the case but please let me know what you think of the story. This story is about 13 chapters long.**_

 _ **Warnings: Mentions of violence, kidnapping, rape, suicide and other themes along these lines that I don't know how to word. Sorry if it may upset anyone, it isn't my intention to do so.**_

 _ **Review and let me know what you think...**_

"Why are we going to this thing again?" Lee questioned Lucy as she fiddled to get his tie to sit straight but the damn thing wasn't willing to.

"Because I promised my cousin that I'd go," Lucy replied as she undid his tie and then re-tied it again.

"And why am I being dragged along?" Lee questioned as he peered down at Lucy who was quickly losing patience with the black tie.

"Because you're my friend," was Lucy's lame reply as Lee huffed.

Not a couple of seconds later did Lucy give up with the tie, leaving it resting slightly straight before going to grab at the sides of his waistcoat, buttoning it up at the front for him. Giving his chest a pat she smiled before going to grab her navy blazer to go over her navy dress. Heels on, she threw Lee's jacket at him before grabbing her bag.

"Ready?" Lucy questioned him after he had put his jacket on and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah," Lee answered as he followed Lucy out of the door. It wasn't as if he had a choice anyway. Bloody stupid party.

When they arrived outside the pub down the street, the music was blaring and men and women milled around outside, cigarettes and pints in their hands. There was one couple snogging rather enthusiastically against a wall in the corner. Lee rolled his eyes as he saw them, this party was either going to be really good or go disastrously bad. His bet was on the latter.

Holding the door open for Lucy he breathed in the scent of alcohol along with cheap perfume and various bar snacks. People were standing awkwardly around the dance floor, the ones that were drunk enough were dancing and embarrassed partners were watching from the bar.

"Lucy!" Lee and Lucy suddenly heard a high pitched screech before he watched as she was engulfed in a hug.

"Happy birthday, Han!" Lucy shouted back over the blasting music as she hugged her slightly taller cousin back.

"Thanks for coming. Who's this?" She questioned as she stood an arm's length away from Lucy, cocking her head in Lee's direction as her short dark hair moved slightly in the same direction.

"This is Lee," Lucy introduced as Hannah cocked an eyebrow in questioning as she shook his hand, "he's my flatmate."

"Nice to meet you," she replied as a cheeky glint appeared in Hannah's eyes as she gestured Lee off to the bar before turning to Lucy, "flatmate, eh?" She did believe her cousin, she really did but Hannah had heard about Lee before and the way Lucy spoke about him sometimes she questioned the status of their relationship.

"Lodger, actually but I'm saving him some dignity by saying flatmate," Lucy explained as Hannah gave her a 'I-don't-really-belive-you-but-if-that's-what-you're-going-to-say' look, Lucy meanwhile rolled her eyes. Why did people have to question about her and Lee? They weren't in a relationship! Not that he'd want to be anyway. Fear of commitment and all.

"So just flatmate?" She asked again as Lucy blushed slightly, luckily the lights were dim enough to cover it. The way Hannah had asked had caused her to blush and not the fact that her mind had wondered somewhere that involved her and Lee in a relationship. Yes, definitely because of the suggestiveness that lay behind the question. Nothing else.

"Yup," Lucy replied just as Lee came back with three drinks.

Thanking and giving him a smile as he handed her a glass of rosé, fingers brushing when Lucy took hold of the glass, giving Hannah her vodka and coke before taking a sip of his pint. Giving Lucy a wink Hannah made her excuses to mingle, leaving Lee and Lucy standing next to each other. Her cousin could possibly be up to something and she didn't want to know what that _something_ was.

"Your cousin seems nice," Lee muttered to Lucy in her ear, to avoid trying to shout over the music, it would strain his throat.

"Don't bother. She's gay for a start," Lucy muttered back in his ear as he rolled his eyes. He didn't mean like that anyway.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," Lee answered as Lucy smirked, it was nice to wind him up for a change, not that he gave her much of an opportunity to do so. Handing her glass for Lee to hold she went looking for Hannah's birthday present to place on the table holding a mountain of them in the corner.

"Oh shit," Lucy cursed as she rooted around in her handbag, frantically looking for the small box.

"What?" Lee questioned as he took another sip of his drink, arching an eyebrow in Lucy's direction.

"I've left the present in the flat. I'll go down the street and get it," Lucy explained as Lee sighed, they always managed to forget something or someone.

"I'll go with you," Lee really didn't want Lucy walking on her own in the dark.

"No, you stay and enjoy. I'll only be a few minutes," Lucy reassured him as she kissed him on his cheek before leaving Lee, in a party with a bunch of strangers. It was only down the street, not much could happen and especially with a load of people milling around the front entrance of the pub.

When Lucy stepped back out onto the street she was hit with a barrage of smoke and cold air. Pulling her jacket tighter around her she made her way towards her flat down the darkly lit street, arms crossed over her front and her handbag resting in the crook of her elbow. She could feel eyes on her and it was unnerving. She'd only gotten half way when a gloved hand clamped itself over her mouth, muffling a scream as she was dragged kicking into an alley. She couldn't physically fight back.

It's not as if she didn't know how to defend herself but it was different when you were actually in the situation, panic set in. Her handbag fell to the floor with a thump as Lucy attempted to grab hold of the arms encasing her. No one saw it happening, or her kicking and trying to scream through the hand clamped tightly over her mouth. Lucy never saw the baseball bat.

That's when everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews! To the guest reviewer, no I didn't write that fic and I've noticed it's gone missing as well...**

Looking at his phone Lee grumbled. It had been an hour since Lucy had left to go get the present and she still hadn't returned, the amount of time she was taking was worrying him.

Making his way over to Hannah he tapped her shoulder and explained what had happened, telling her that he'd have to leave early and wishing her a happy birthday, he didn't get much further than saying that Lucy hadn't returned before Hannah had begun ushering him straight out of the door. The pair made their way down the street, the same way Lucy had done earlier with the feeling of dread settling comfortably in their stomachs. She'd be alright but why hadn't she phoned to say she'd be longer. He should've gone with her.

"Do you think she's ok?" Lee questioned Hannah nervously as they made their way into the building, legs striding as they ran.

"I'm pretty sure she's fine. It'll do no good worrying about it," Hannah said with sympathy as Lee shakily opened the flat door, both breathing heavily, the excursion taking a slight toll on them.

"I can't help it," he admitted as he pushed open the door, it nearly flying off of its hinges, "Lucy!? Luce?" Lee shouted but no reply, and he could see the colourfully wrapped present was still perched on the coffee table. Ok now he was beginning to worry. Nothing had moved since they had left and surely if she was going to be longer than intended she would've phoned him.

"Han, I don't think she's here," he muttered worriedly as he began running around the flat opening doors and slamming them shut again all the time shouting her name, he must have been making a right racket, "Lucy, sweetheart!?"

"I thought you two were only flatmates?" Hannah asked as she followed him, really worried now as well. Yet, she still had to question the sweetheart.

"Oh we are. I'm just worried now and terms of endearments tumble of my mouth especially when it comes to Lucy but I've always seemed to have done it and without noticing. Mum thought I was bonkers when I called my aunt love whilst she had fallen down the stairs," he babbled out in one breath as he pushed Hannah out of the way before running out of the flat, shouting Lucy's name down the street.

"Lee, calm down!"

"Calm down!? How can I calm down!? She's gone missing!" Lee panicked as he ran hands through his hair. She could be anywhere by now!

"Luce!?" He shouted again as he began jogging down the street, a few people glancing curiously his way, he only stopped when he tripped and fell, landing face first into the damp, dirty pavement. That hurt quite a bit. Ouch.

"Are you..." Her question trailed off as she noticed what Lee had tripped over, "you fell over Lucy's handbag." Hannah was pretty good at remembering what people wore and when she had first seen it she rather liked it.

"What?" Lee asked, thinking he hadn't heard correctly. What did she just say?

"That's Lucy's handbag," Hannah pointed at the article in question as Lee scrambled to his feet. If Lucy's handbag was just lying about in the street that meant she didn't even make it back to the flat. Which meant someone had taken her.

"Phone the police. Fuck," he spoke loudly as he gingerly made his way down the alley with the flashlight on his phone but he soon emerged and shook his head, she wasn't there. At this point in time he would've rather seen her beaten in the corner than not at all.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," he repeated, as he ran his hands over his face, this could not be happening. Nope. No way. Not to her, not to her. Why the fuck didn't he go with her!?

Lucy was missing. Nowhere to be seen. What if something had happened to her? What if she'd been killed? What if? What if? What if? Was all that was running through Lee's head. And none of the options he came up with were particularly good results.

"I shouldn't have let her go on her own," he muttered just as sirens came into his hearing, a stray tear fell down his face as he stared at the floor, where Lucy's handbag lay. They hadn't touched it, just in case.

"Don't go blaming yourself. She'll be fine…she'll be fine…she'll be fine," Hannah repeated to reassure Lee and herself, her hands rubbing her arms to warm her from the chill of the night.

The police arrived then talking to the pair and taking notes as Hannah explained everything. Lee had started to but he was too emotional, too much in a panic to explain anything properly, he was really worried. Lee had passed the police the flat keys when asked and then had watched as detectives went looking around the alley, taking photos and collecting evidence. He'd seen it plenty of times on the police detective shows and TV programmes but never in a million years did he imagine even watching one let alone being right in the centre of one. It was surreal and he couldn't quite explain the feeling in his gut.

Hannah left an hour later after police had told her to go back to her party, that there was nothing else she could do. If she stayed any longer then people would be wondering where she was anyway. Handing Lee her phone number he nodded absentmindedly as he stood, hands in pockets and shoulders slumped, answering questions when asked and just generally staying out of the way.

Lee didn't leave until they packed up, saying they'd be in touch and they'd let him know anything about his girlfriend. There wasn't any point in denying that they weren't even together. The Detective Inspector had been helpful and promised him that they'd find her and that he'd done the right thing by phoning because she hadn't made it back to the flat, even if you had to wait 24 hours these days.

By time he got back to the flat, threw his jacket onto his desk he gave a weak smile as the detective walked passed him, offering a smile that showed he's worked in the sector too long to be even remotely sympathetic as he carried a box of Lucy's and his things. Then a thought hit him. He'd have to tell Geoffrey, Wendy Tim and Daisy. That was going to be heart wrenching.

Lee paced the flat for the first hour as he sipped whiskey thinking about what he'd tell her parents and where to look before deciding he couldn't sit around and do nothing. Getting his jacket he took a glance at the time, 2:30 am. It was as good a time as any to start looking. He didn't return home that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone for the interest in this fic!**

By noon the next day Lee had walked all the way over London, looking in the obvious and the quite frankly obscure places, worry and panic still running through his mind. He knew those feelings wouldn't end anytime soon. Lee had clutched his phone throughout for the whole time, hoping and praying the police had found anything or something they could use to help find Lucy quicker but nothing so far. He couldn't help but feel a little bit disheartened because of it.

"Please be alright," Lee mumbled to himself as people glanced curiously at him. Talking to himself probably wasn't the best thing to do when he looked like a state.

Lee's hair was all over the place, sticking up at all angles, his tie loosened and completely out of line with the top buttons of his shirt undone. His waistcoat hung open, along with his jacket and dark circles were visible under his red rimmed eyes. They must have thought he was hungover or on drugs at least, he wished that were the case and it wasn't the fact that his best friend, the woman he loved had gone missing. The reason he was out searching at that point in time.

He didn't know where he was heading anymore, his feet were aching and he was pretty sure he had walked this street at least a dozen times already, passing the same tree. Turning the corner he realised that he'd unconsciously began his way towards Geoffrey's and Wendy's house which was visible at the end of the street. Had he really walked that far out of the centre of London? Looking at the house he considered it. Well, he had to tell them at some point and then they could tell Tim and Daisy who were currently in Germany. Luckily the time was now a reasonable hour of the morning and he knew Geoffrey got up at six. So, he knocked on the door.

"Lee?" Wendy questioned as she glanced upon the slightly drunken looking man standing outside, a slightly nervous and scared expression on his face.

"Hi. I need to speak to the both of you," that's when Wendy knew it was serious, the tone of his voice indicating that he wasn't there because Lucy's kicked him out because he was drunk. So, she ushered him in to their living room and handed him a tumbler with some whiskey in it, he looked like he needed it. Who cared if it was only seven in the morning? Knocking it back in one Lee sighed as he saw Geoffrey walk in.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked softly as she sat down next to him, Geoffrey was already looming over Lee, arms crossed and a glare on his face.

"It's about Lucy," Lee began, face peering down at his fingers that were fumbling with the crystal glass in his hands. He had never in his life had to tell someone that was this serious and he was scared.

"What about her?" Geoffrey sneered at him as Lee gulped. This was hard enough as it was without Geoffrey trying to kill him.

"She's gone missing," he muttered as he finally glanced up at Geoffrey whose expression had turned even sourer.

"What?" He asked again as Wendy sniffled next to Lee.

"We were in Hannah's birthday party and she forgot to bring her present. Lucy said she was going back to get it. I offered to go with her and she said no, kissed me on my cheek and then left," Lee explained, Geoffrey's eyes narrowing at the mention of the kiss on the cheek, "she hadn't returned so I went to go check and she wasn't there. Found her handbag in an alleyway, phoned the police. They're investigating," Lee finished and Geoffrey's face was still glaring at him. That was the basics of things wasn't it?

"Why the hell did you listen to her!?" Geoffrey boomed as Lee winced. He already felt guilty, this wasn't helping but Lee had learnt in the past that he should always listen to Lucy, even if he thinks he's in the right.

"I'm sorry," Lee mumbled as tears fell from his own eyes, Wendy was sobbing in the corner now, harsh sniffles escaping her.

"You're supposed to be looking after her!"

Lee knew this, of course he knew this. Lee had practically vowed as soon as he began to fancy her that he'd look after her. That it was his job as her lodger, her friend to look after her. Plus, he had promised Tim that he'd look after her.

"I'm sorry," Lee repeated. He currently had the posture and expression of a dog who had done something wrong.

"She's my daughter and she's missing! You're supposed to look out for her, especially being the man of the house!" That was the last straw. Plus, Lee knew it was Lucy who was in charge in the flat.

"I am, Geoffrey," Lee said, surprisingly brave as he stood up," I was looking after her. I still am looking after. I will continue to look after and look out for her because I love her. I love your daughter Geoffrey and I'm not giving up. I've been up all night looking for her and I'm going to continue to look for her. I will find her if it's the last thing I do. I'm sorry I let her go on her own but it was only down the street, I didn't think anything like this would happen. I will find her though. I promise," Lee didn't know how he stayed strong, he felt like crumpling inside.

He was surprised when Geoffrey's shoulders slumped and he walked forward, his arms wrapping around Lee tightly as he let out a shaky breath into his shoulder, a quiet sob escaping as Lee stood up straight, and awkwardly patted his back.

"I'll find her," he repeated as Wendy took over his place a sad smile on her face as she nodded, "I'll find her." He said again, making eye contact with Wendy. It was partly to reassure himself as well as Wendy and Geoffrey.

"I'll find her."


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello?" Lee mumbled down the phone, still half asleep. He'd only just gotten into the flat an hour ago and it was now nearing six in the morning. God he was tired. It had been a week and the police were still doing forensics, he was still searching and the feeling of dread in his stomach was weighing down heavily. As long as she isn't dead he could handle it, he could make things better or at least try.

"Lee? We've got some evidence. It's not much but it's something," he heard the DI speak down the phone.

"What? What have you got?" Lee asked frantically as he quickly pulled on his trousers, rubbing his hand over his stubble as he ran to the kitchen, grabbing something to drink, whilst simultaneously trying to balance his phone between his face and shoulder.

"Lucy's blazer was found a few yards away, stuffed into a crack in the wall. We've matched her DNA up with it but there was another source of fibre. Some cotton fibres, presumably from some gloves, so we know there's no fingerprints going to be available but we're hoping to find some hair or even traces of saliva if the attacker was struggling to drag her. His or her mouth could've been open and people spit," detective Steven explained down the phone as Lee sighed. He was right it wasn't much but it was still something. Lee didn't like the thought of someone trying to drag her, it sent shivers down his spine.

"Ok, thanks," Lee muttered as he hung up the phone, falling back onto the sofa, burying his face into his hands as he picked up the phone and dialled the number he wanted. There was hardly anything if only he was being threatened.

As sordid as it sounded it would've been easier if they had blackmail but they didn't. This person had either killed her by now or was using her, not playing games. They wanted Lucy, no one else and that worried Lee more. Whatever this person wanted they had it and it didn't seem like they were going to slip up anytime soon.

"Wendy?" Lee questioned as the ringing finally ended.

"Lee? Any news?" Wendy asked just as frantic as Lee had earlier. Out of them all Wendy had concluded that Lee was faring the worse. He hardly ate or slept. Wendy and Geoffrey did their best to go out and look for her but they were getting old. Lee had reassured them time and time again that he'd find her. They were worried of course, both of their hearts were breaking but Lee was the one showing it the most.

"They found her blazer, hidden away. They don't know why but there must have been something they didn't want us to find on her blazer, right?" Lee questioned, needing to hear some kind of reassurance as Wendy sighed.

"Or maybe it was just in the way," she uttered painfully as Lee gulped. He didn't want to think about the implications of that. The thoughts running through his mind were too cynical to deal with at that moment.

"I'm going to go look some more," Lee mumbled sorrowfully, he was on the brink of a break down he knew it, Wendy knew it as did everyone else who saw him.

"You have to look after yourself as well, Lee," Wendy said down the phone.

"I will once Lucy's safe," was Lee's reply as he ended the phone call. He needed to find her, for his own good as well as hers.

NGONGONGONGO

The first time she woke up, she was still being dragged. The scrape of gravel hitting her legs as she groaned before beginning to thrash around, to try and escape. It didn't work though it only resulted in her legs hitting metal before her head hit something hard and everything went dark for the second time.

The second time she woke up, she had a headache and felt dizzy her hands were bound together behind her back, legs tapped and eyes blindfolded. The first thing she felt was panic but quickly calmed down, just as she had everything went black again.

The headache was worse the third time, yet she still couldn't take in her surroundings. At least the blindfold had been removed. Lucy could feel metal behind her back. The headache was pounding now and she couldn't cope. Her vision blurred before she passed out again. The passing out was getting tiering.

Lucy couldn't count the amount of time she passed out, mostly from pain. Lucy couldn't keep up with the amount of beatings and she didn't want to think about what else was taking its toll and she could hardly stay awake long enough. When she stayed awake long enough, she didn't want to be, she didn't want to feel hands touching and hitting and the face that accompanied them, the face she could now see. It was on par with the verbal beatings she would receive as well. There would be no shouting only a menacing voice saying she was worthless, unloved and not needed by anyone, not even Lee. That was why no one had found her yet. At first she ignored it, Lee liked her, didn't he? But the words began to sink in and she had begun to believe what was being whispered in her eat, yet she was unwilling to cry in front of him.

Days went by and she realised she didn't want to fight anymore, didn't want to try and survive. The days that passed bled into each other and she'd lost track a long time ago. She was hungry and thirsty, her body ached and she had no energy, the only source of nourishment that she would receive once a day off her attacker was barely keeping her going. The instinct to survive had been drawn from her, bit by bit, because of it. The one thing that had kept her going was the thought of Lee but that was fading. The memory of her lodger slowly falling from her grasp.

Lucy had managed to somehow numb any feeling other than pain at the moment, she didn't need to think about how she felt, and she needed to stay strong otherwise she would brake, she clung onto the hope that she'd see him again. But with her losing her will to fight that was hard.

It was hard to stay alive.


	6. Chapter 6

**Next chapter starts to become different...sorry there's not much on the investigation bit but I didn't want it to drag and wanted to write the next few! Thanks!**

It had been a couple of weeks and still nothing, no lead, no blackmail and no sign of Lucy anywhere since her navy jacket had been discovered. Lee spent most of his days and nights looking for Lucy. Trolling the streets of London and most of the times making his way out towards the suburbs. Still nothing. Hannah had even popped in and helped but was quickly called away on business and went reluctantly.

He was frustrated with himself for not finding her, he should've by now but no way he was going to give up his will. Wendy and Geoffrey had posted flyers around everywhere, helped look during the day and had informed Tim and Daisy who were currently snowed in and had been for three weeks. Lee had assured them much like he had Wendy and Geoffrey. He'd find her. They were the only three words that circled their minds like a mantra.

Sighing he threw his jacket on and walked out of the flat door, keys in his hands and phone in his pocket, a power bar as a backup battery just in case. He'd just gotten into his car when his phone rang.

"Yup?" Lee muttered as he began the ignition.

"We've got something," he heard Steven's voice say and Lee's heart jumped. Steven had taken a particular interest in the case, giving an excuse about his wife having been in a similar situation or close to it.

"We found some of her blood," and that didn't sound particularly good, "don't worry. It's only small amounts, probably from some cuts but it's something. She's clever, it might be a path."

"Where exactly?" Lee asked quickly as Steven explained the address and in the direction the DNA was heading.

"There's shipping containments twenty minutes north from there," he didn't know why he never thought of it before, "I'll be there as soon as possible. No one and I mean no one approaches her before me, if she's there. Got it?" Lee instructed down the phone as Steven agreed. If Lucy was there then they didn't need to startle her any more than was necessary, Lee was a familiar face it would be good.

Lee arrived half an hour later, police cars surrounding the area. Steven opened the door and Lee jumped out of the car, ignoring the policemen as he weaved his way through them.

"We think it's that one," one junior officer pointed to a blue container as Lee nodded.

Wasting no time Lee wrenched the doors of the container open, nothing. Sighing, he moved onto the next, then the next and the next and the next. Maybe they'd gotten it wrong but it was the closest they'd even come to finding Lucy. Even if they weren't close.

Standing in front of the next shipping container Lee grabbed hold of the handles, he was giving up hope with this place. Opening the next container with a creak he breathed a sigh of relief of he noticed Lucys' figure, huddled in the back right hand corner, her face pressed against the cold metal, scared.

Tears sprung to his eyes as he entered the metal shell, Lucy cowering further away at the motion. It stunk, the smell of Lucy having been there for weeks and the smell of dry, rotting blood. Slowly making his way forward Lee crouched down an arm's length away, gently letting his hand touch her shoulder. He startled when Lucy flinched.

"Lucy, love? It's me," he tried as Lucy shook her head, unwilling to believe that the person she'd wanted to see was in front of her. She didn't want it to be a hallucination, she didn't know if she could handle it.

"C'mon, Luce. It's Lee," he tried gently again and this time Lucy's head turned slowly to face him as Lee took in a breath. He could just make out faint bruises on her face, he dreaded being able to see the extent of her injuries.

"Lee?" Lucy whispered her voice hoarse.

"Hi," he greeted and despite the situation he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. The relief was palpable, "there's a paramedic outside that's going to take us to the hospital to get you checked over. Is that ok?"

"Ok," Lucy agreed with a nod, she couldn't stand hospitals but the pain that still throbbed through her body suggested that she'd have to out up with going.

"We'll go home then," Lee told her as he watched her nod her head. Lee had never seen her look so vulnerable before and it scared him, "do you need help?" Lee questioned as Lucy nodded, before whispering that her hands were tied.

Once Lee had untied the rope from around her wrists and legs he went to help her stand but she flinched away and shook her head. Breathing deeply he nodded his head as Lucy shakily and unsteadily got to her feet, leaning against the metal wall for a while, she was in pain. He stood behind her as she held her head up high, making her own way towards the stretcher and it was when they stepped back into the light did he see her injuries.

Lucy's dress had been ripped in various places, cuts in various depths making their way along her arms and legs. Her breathing seemed laboured and he thought it might be apprehension but was possibly a few broken ribs. Lucy's hand had practically turned blue, her wrists red raw as he watched the paramedic put an IV into her. It didn't take a genius to work out that she was dehydrated and malnourished. Lee could see finger shaped bruises on her arms, legs, wrist and neck and he knew then what had happened and why Lucy was flinching at male contact. Her once vibrant blonde hair, had lost its life, flat and sticking to her cut and bloodied forehead, one eye was black and a cut ran along her cheek that looked bruised. She looked a state but Lee couldn't have been happier to see her.

He watched every time she startled slightly at feeling hands on her, the ones trying their best to asses her injuries. The fear in her eyes when she made eye contact with him was plain to see. Lee was going to have to tread lightly with her. It wasn't going to be easy for them both but he had to try. Lee also knew they weren't going to get anything from her and that her trust in men had spiralled completely. Hopefully one day she'd tell him what she'd been through, just so he could take some of the burden she now carried on her shoulders. Yet, he knew it wasn't going to be anytime soon.

That reminded him, he needed to phone her parents but at that moment he would leave it to the police. The questioning would be put off for a while. Lucy looked as if she didn't want to talk. Reluctantly jumping into his car, Lee followed the ambulance towards the nearest hospital. Lucy had to recover, things were far from over, they both knew it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for the reviews...now this turns into a who done it? That will be posted in the last chapter of this fic. So now it's Lucy's sort of healing process.**

Lee phoned her parents when Lucy was being examined in the hospital. She had insisted on female nurses and his stomach had wrenched at the implications. If he ever found the bastard he'd kill him, strangle him with barbed wire and watch the last of his breath escape him along with his blood that would drip from around his neck. The fact he had even thought about killing him like that made Lee slightly scared of himself but what that man had done to Lucy had taken him to his darkest thoughts.

They'd gotten a few things out of her, her not wanting to reveal too much. She was scared that he'd come back and kill her. Lucy had been left for a few days and no return of the man, not that she suspected him to and it was a relief. She'd explained that he'd said goodbye the last time she was kicked until she blacked out. If it was a goodbye lee excepted more than what Lucy was telling him. They had no more information out of her. She knew what the attacker looked like and she wasn't willing to reveal. Not even a description but he respected her decision, she'd open up in her own time.

Drinking the last of his tea that tasted more like cats piss, he sighed, they'd been in there for a few hours now and still no word about her injuries. It was a relief when the nurse came out, a grim expression on her face when she approached Lee, clipboard in hand. She was short with curly black hair and plump.

"How is she?" It was a stupid question he knew but he was holding on to hope that she wasn't as bad as she seemed.

"Not good," she replied with sympathy as Lee's face dropped.

"How bad?" Was his next question as he peered over the nurses head and into the room Lucy was currently occupying. He couldn't see much.

"She's severely dehydrated, so we need to keep her in for a couple of hours to get it back to normal. We did suggest she stay in but she's refusing," the nurse explained as Lee nodded, them both going to sit on the red plastic chairs.

"I promised I'd take her home today."

"Ok. Where to start?" The nurse mumbled as she flicked through her files, "Lucy's lucky with her head injuries, only a few stitches where she's been hit over the head a few times. There's a few smaller cuts where we think her hairs been grabbed and ripped out of her skull. We suspected a head injury but there is none. The cut running along her cheek will heal on its own, the smaller one by her eyebrow needed two stitches and we've given her painkillers to deal with the bruised cheek and black eye and those should also dull any other ache in her body. The cuts on her arms and legs have been washed and some have needed to be glued back together. She's suffered a fractured wrist on her left arm so that's been splintered and a cast put on, she wasn't too happy about that one. Lucy's got a few broken ribs and a pneumothorax so we've drained the blood that's escaped into her right lung. The soles of her feet have been sorted as well, few splinters and scrapes and she's sprained her right foot but can walk on it. The bruises we can't do much about," it was obvious now that the nurse was finding it difficult herself.

"Just tell me," Lee muttered as he kept the tears at bay.

"And we've given her some internal stitches," the nurse concluded as Lee winced. He knew that was a possibility and had been suspicious about it but now it had been confirmed he didn't know how to handle the thought.

"She's going to be alright?"

"The physical aspects, yes. A few scars here and there but no permanent damage. The mental side of things, that's going to take a while but I'm pretty sure in time she'll be fine. Lucy's a bit anxious and wary at the moment and I don't blame her. She's vulnerable although she's not willing to admit it...Look after her."

"I will."

"You can go see her," the nurse nodded with a small smile as Lee stood up, thanking her before making his way towards the door.

Peering through the glass of the door, Lee sighed as he took in Lucy. He'd been doing that a lot recently, sighing. His landlady was propped up in bed, twiddling her thumbs and jumping at any creak that was made by the hospitals pipes. Her face was one of a scared child and Lee's heart broke. It was going to be tough to look after her.

He knew Lucy hated being vulnerable and dependant on other people and he knew for a fact that she was going to try and do things on her own but it wasn't going to work, not with her being in the state she was in now.

Knocking on the door first he waited for Lucy to give him permission to enter. She'd practically jumped out of her bed when Lee knocked but when she saw him, she gave a small smile as permission.

"Hi," Lee uttered as he took a seat next to her bed.

"Hi," Lucy repeated back as she fiddled with the hospital beds blanket, "can I go home?"

"Yeah in a couple of hours. They're waiting for you to get your dehydration levels back up," he explained as she nodded before turning her head to face out of the window, "Wendy and Geoffrey are on their way and Tim's finally dug himself out of the snow. Should be here in a few days."

"Oh," was the only reply he had and he knew now that this was going to be tough.

Lee didn't know what to say, he wanted to say that he missed her but it would bring up some stuff Lucy didn't want to remember and he wanted to hold her but she was wary. He could see now how her body was stiff and ready to fight.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Luce?" Lee uttered softly as a frightened expression crossed her face, "I'll be here. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

"Ok," and with that Lucy turned over painfully and lay with her back facing Lee. She didn't sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry if anything in this story upsets you, it's not intentional. Also, sorry that it's a tough read...but thank you everyone for the reviews :)**

They returned home later that day when Lucy had insisted on discharging herself. They had explained that her dehydration levels hadn't risen to the levels they wanted them to be at and that she was probably better off staying in the hospital that evening but she was having none of it. She just wanted to go home

Lee hadn't argued with her, scared he would frighten her and agreeing that it was probably best for her to recover in the flat with familiar surroundings. The doctors or nurses couldn't go against her wishes so they had let her go just as Wendy and Geoffrey came rushing through the hospital doors, both with relieved smiles and equal amount of shock on their faces.

Wendy had carefully made her way up to her daughter who wore a small, nervous smile as her mother approached. Gingerly Wendy had put her arm around Lucy, careful not to cause her more pain. Lucy's arms immediately clung to her mother, as her head buried in her shoulder. Geoffrey had cautiously made his way up soon after, not wanting to startle her and only imagining what she'd been through. If it wasn't for Lucy being in front of him he would have seen red and lashed out at the next person who walked by. Lee smiled as Geoffrey put his hand on Lucy's shoulder, not even startling her before wrapping his arms around his wife and daughter.

Lee breathed a sigh of relief he'd manage to keep one promise now all he had to do was keep the others and it was going to be tough. He had to make sure she was safe and that meant double locking all the doors on the flat because the man who had done this to Lucy was still out there and now she had disappeared from his hiding place there was possibly a good chance he'd come looking for her and if that man knew where she lived then it wasn't going to go well. Lee was startled out of his thoughts when he felt Geoffrey wrap his arms around him.

"Thank you."

"I found her," was all Lee could mutter as he sighed. It was beginning to kick in that he had Lucy back.

"Take her home. We'll be there later," Geoffrey smiled at him as Lee nodded his head.

He was surprised when Geoffrey suggested that he should take her home, half expecting for them to argue with him about who looked after her. Realisation struck then, they trusted him to help her recover and to look after her. It was a big deal for Lucy's parents to trust him, especially with Geoffrey being so protective. It meant a lot.

They finally got home twenty minutes later or thereabouts and Lucy had immediately mumbled that she was going for a shower. Nodding his head, Lee watched from the doorway of the flat as Lucy cursed under her breath and wince as she walked, the pain killers obviously not working. Maybe he should phone the doctor and up the dosage. Yeah that's what he'd do. After he fitted the locks he'd bought onto the flat door and windows.

Lucy cursed silently through her teeth as she made her way to sit on the edge of the bath, breathing in shallow breath, her ribs aching painfully. Slowly she got up and reached to switch the shower on, tears springing to her eyes as she made her arm stretch, reminding her that she had to cover her cast. Rolling her eyes at the annoying piece of cast she searched for a carrier bag and luckily finding one in the bathroom cabinet. Lucy struggled as she made it water tight before beginning to get undressed. In the end she didn't know how long she stayed in the shower, scrubbing until her skin was red raw, trying desperately to get the smell of him off of her. By the end she crumpled to the floor, half of her cuts bleeding again but luckily no stitches or glue had come loose or undone. Letting her head drop she finally let herself cry, she wasn't going to be weak in front of anyone else but herself. It took twenty minutes for her to stop crying.

She'd been in there for three quarters of an hour and was just about to attempt to shave her legs when Lee knocked timidly on the door asking if she was ok in there.

"I'll be out in a bit!" Lucy shouted back at him as she shakily did her legs with one hand, avoiding the cuts and trying not to look at the finger shaped bruises.

"Do you want a cuppa?" Lee questioned.

"Please!" Was his reply. It was the most Lucy had spoken to him since he had found her.

When she entered the living room not half an hour later, her mug of tea was still steaming on the coffee table and Lee was sat back on the sofa, sipping out of his own mug. Lucy's hair was loose and she wore her pyjama bottoms and an oversized jumper and Lee was pretty certain it belonged to him a while ago. Oh well, as long as she was comfortable.

"Enjoy your shower?" He questioned as she curled up carefully in the corner, making sure that she didn't hurt her ribs.

"Yeah. I needed it," she muttered as she caught Lee's eye before glancing back down and Lee knew what she meant.

They sat in silence until Lucy spoke again, commenting, "the flat doesn't look as if it's been touched."

"Hardly has," Lee admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Why?"

"I've been looking for you," he mumbled.

"Oh," and they lapsed into silence again.

Now, he'd mentioned it Lucy could see subtle differences. He was thinner than when they last saw each other, his hair was flat and a few grey hairs had appeared and his face looked older due to the dark circles under his eyes. It looked as if he had hardly been in the flat at all and she was guessing that that's what probably had happened but why? He didn't need to be out looking for her, she wasn't worth it. At that tears pricked at her eyes.

"I'm going to go to bed," she muttered as Lee nodded. He watched her leave. It was going to be more difficult than he thought.


	9. Chapter 9

**Flashbacks are in italics. Thanks!**

"C'mon Lucy, eat something please?" Lee begged for the hundredth time that week as he watched her staring at the plate of toast in front of her. It wasn't much he knew but it was something and a lot more than she had eaten in the past month.

"I'm not hungry," was the mumbled reply he received as he huffed. Throughout the week in total Lucy had only ate about a bowlful of cereal and yet again he found himself worrying for her. She needed to eat more, she'd lost so much weight and she hadn't had to.

"Please?" Lee had begged once more as he watched her begrudgingly pick up a piece of the buttery toast and take bite.

"Happy?" Lucy asked through a mouthful as Lee nodded his head, relaxing slightly. She had eaten something and he found that to be quite an achievement.

Lucy didn't want to eat. She really didn't. The smell and feel of him still clung to her and it made her feel sick. The food would just make it worse than it was. Lucy could already feel her stomach protest as she took another bite, Lee watching her cautiously out of the corner of his eye.

She was still cautious of him. How could she not be? The only problem was that she didn't want to felt cautious around Lee. He had only touched her on the arm lightly once and she jumped at the contact. Lee hadn't touched her since and she knew he wouldn't until she was the first to initiate contact. The ordeal she had been through had caused the un-trust she would now find herself in with most men.

Lucy only found one problem though, the fact that she knew she was in love with Lee. Her mind was playing a battle between letting him in and shielding herself. The latter always won once she thought about how on earth could he ever love her back? In her mind she was now damaged, scarred and not wanted and for the life of her she couldn't understand why Lee still wanted to be around her anymore. Why was he still looking after her?

"I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk?" Lee questioned cautiously as Lucy's eyes widened.

"I..I uh can't," the truth was she was frightened, still in pain and tired. Very tired, she hadn't been sleeping much and that was apparent by the dark circles underneath her eyes.

"Oh ok. I understand," he didn't want to push her and he doubt she would want to go out until she was willing to give her statement to the police, she was still holding it all in.

They had been lucky so far, no one had come back or even attempted to come into the flat to get Lucy. Probably because there were police that still kept an eye out, they worried that he could strike again, even if the attack wasn't aimed at Lucy. They'd helped a lot and Lee couldn't have been more grateful.

"Have you taken your medication?" Lee asked as Lucy nodded her head, placing the half piece of eaten toast back down onto the plate. She was full, "ok. So, what do you want to do?"

"Movie day?"

"Ok. Disney?" He asked eagerly as Lucy rolled her eyes. Nodding her head she watched as he bounced towards his bedroom, bringing out their Disney collection and two blankets, handing one to Lucy who glanced towards the door. It was locked she knew it was locked, she had checked five times already. Her paranoia wasn't helping her at all. Lee having noticed smiled sadly.

"No one is there Lucy don't worry," he mumbled as Lucy nodded her head before turning back to look at the television, taking the blanket Lee had handed her. Wrapping it over her the hoodie she had been wearing the past couple of days, she painfully curled up into the corner of the sofa as Lee put the DVD before settling on the sofa. She hadn't realised when she had fallen asleep.

 _It was dark until she heard the creek of the metal doors opening. Lucy had quickly learnt she was inside a metal container as soon as her head hit the wall and an echo resounded through the box. Bright light now shone on her, making her eyes squint and she pressed herself as far into the corner as she possibly could, as she struggled to get her hands and feet free from the ropes._

 _"_ _I wouldn't struggle. You're just going to make everything worse," she heard coming from the masked man standing in front of her, his hands gloved and his body covered in black clothes._

 _"_ _And how would you know?" Lucy replied, surprisingly confident as she glared at him._

 _Lucy received a smack to her face for her troubles, her bottom lip now bleeding as she grunted. That had hurt. Her head hadn't even turned around when she felt the same leather gloved hand hit her again and again and again. The blows had stopped and Lucy had time to take in a deep breath, willing herself not to seem weak and cry. That was until a hand grabbed her around her throat and pushed her into the metal of the container._

 _"_ _No backchat," he hissed as Lucy gulped. Maybe she shouldn't be messing around, she could get herself killed but being her she couldn't help it. Plus, she had never been in this situation before and didn't know how to play it._

 _"_ _Or what?" She managed to choke through as the hands tightened their grip, she couldn't breathe._

 _"_ _You'll find out," was the reply she received as his grip loosened completely. Before he walked away Lucy received a sharp kick to her abdomen._

Lucy hadn't realised she'd been asleep until she jumped awake, making her already aching ribs protest as she struggled to grasp a breath. She'd been having nightmares a lot recently, making it the reason her injuries were getting didn't notice Lee hovering next to her side, his hands keeping her casted arm still. Lucy had obviously been moving in her sleep assuming her blanket was now on the floor.

"You ok?" Lee asked as he watched her trying to regain her breath. She had developed a cold sweat and a look of terror was evident in her eyes.

"I'll…I'll be fine," Lucy breathed out, she'd gotten used to them by now. Well, not used to them just accustomed. She still didn't like sleeping, only letting herself fall into a slumber when her body was exhausted and forced her under.

"Breathe with me, Lucy. You're going to hyperventilate," Lee uttered as he put down her casted arm before gently taking Lucy's hand in hers, ignoring her flinch as he brought it to rest above his heart, "breathe with me. In…out…in…out," Lee instructed as Lucy complied, her eyes not leaving his as her breathing regulated.

The nurses had warned him that this could happen and they had instructed him on what to do, no matter what the situation he had to get her breathing back to normal to prevent more damage to her lungs. If it didn't then he had pills the doctor had given him to give to Lucy if her breathing ever got really bad.

Lucy let her hand fall into his lap when she moved to lie back against the sofa, closing her eyes as she waited for the pain to dissolve. With a mental smile she realised that this was the most physical contact she had had with Lee since the incident and she felt comfortable because she knew he wouldn't do anything she didn't want to.

"Thank you," she whispered as Lee smiled back at her, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting nightmares?" He muttered as Lucy shrugged.

"Didn't think you'd care," she mumbled as Lee's brow furrowed.

"Of course I do," he argued back gently as Lucy shook her head sadly before making her way towards her bedroom.

"You don't. No one does, really," she had muttered it so quietly as she walked away Lee almost didn't catch it. He wanted to press further but by the time he got words out of his mouth Lucy had already left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Sighing Lee took out his phone as he closed the kitchen doors behind him. He didn't want Lucy to listen to the conversation he was about to have. Dialling the number he muttered to himself as he took out two mugs to make tea as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear, cursing slightly as water splashed onto his t-shirt.

"Tim!" Lee exclaimed as the ringing finished, he was worried and the only person he could think of turning to was Tim.

"How's Lucy?" Was the first question he had as Lee sighed, Tim and Daisy were still in Germany, only recently the snow had begun to clear up.

"As expected. When are you home?" Lee wanted to think about how he was going to explain it to him before he answered. How do you not make you landlady's brother not worry more than he already was. It was hard enough trying to reassure Wendy and Geoffrey on a daily basis. Two people were enough and that wasn't including himself.

"The planes are running tomorrow so, we've booked the earliest flight," Tim informed his best mate much to Lee's relief. Then he asked, "seriously though, how is Lucy?"

"Not good," Lee begun carefully, "She's having nightmares and it's causing her more pain," he explained as Tim sighed down the phone, "I only found out today when she fell asleep on the sofa. It was scary Tim, she was muttering sentences and moving as if she was back in that situation. It's plaguing her."

"Oh God," was the only response he had off of Tim.

"And there's nothing we can do to stop it but be there for her… It doesn't look as if she's going to open up anytime soon," he confessed as he stirred the tea in the mugs.

"Has she still not given a statement?" Tim asked but he could guess the answer and he knew his guess was right.

"No," he was right, "I'm not sure if she will. I've tried persuading her but she just whispers no and walks off. I'm not sure she's ever going to be herself again." Maybe if he had found her quicker than he had then she wouldn't be getting nightmares or shutting herself off completely.

"I'll talk to her when I get back," Tim told Lee. Maybe her brother would be more successful than him with getting Lucy to talk to the police. Lee would be happy if that were the case. Yes, he would like Lucy to at least explain what would happen, even if it was brief but he knew there was only a slim possibility of that happening. The bastard who did it to her though needed to be caught and Lee swore that he'd find him, even if it would be last thing he ever did.

"Just don't go scaring her even more. We've made some improvement but it's not much."

"Like what?" He was curious. If Lucy had made some development then that means things were going in the right track. Tim knew it would take a while for her to get back to being the way she was before she was kidnapped then he knew she'd improve with time. Lucy just needed to be around people she trusted at the moment.

"She's eaten a bit. Well, more than she has been and when I took hold of her hand to regulate her breathing she didn't pull away like she did at the start. Lucy's beginning to trust me again," he said with a tone that indicated he was proud of it and he had every right to be. So did Lucy.

"Well that's good," Tim answered and he could practically feel Lee smile down the phone. The slight happiness he was radiating was apparent.

"I'm going to have to go," he informed Tim just as the kettle stopped boiling. The both of them exchanged their goodbyes before hanging up the phone.

Picking up the two mugs of tea he made his way towards Lucy's bedroom, knocking on the door with his foot, Lee had debated to knock with his head but that would have been a stupid thing to do in hindsight. Lucy opened the door a couple of seconds later, with dry tear marks on her cheeks. She had been crying but Lee didn't press her on it, so he gave her a smile and offered her a mug.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Do you want to finish the film?" He asked as he indicated down the hallway with a nod of his head.

"Give me five minutes," Lucy answered as she indicated for him to take her mug before she disappeared back inside her bedroom, Lee disappearing down the corridor.

Once inside Lucy stared blurry eyed at the mess in front of her. She'd raided her photos, ripping some to shreds and crumpling others. Sliding down her door, she brought her knees up to her chest as best as she could, whilst burying her head inside her arms as she breathed deeply. She wasn't going to cry anymore.

As soon as she had calmed down, she got back up to her feet. Walking towards the box that lay on her bed, she picked it up before opening it, shoving all the wrecked photos inside of it. Lucy didn't want to see them. Out of sight out of mind sort of thing. Or so she hoped. Lucy had noticed when she began ripping up the photos that it helped her to a degree, helping her to relieve some anger and frustration but she knew that although it had helped it would only be temporarily until her nightmares returned that night.

When she finished with tidying up her bedroom from the pieces of glossed paper, Lucy wiped her cheeks with the back of her grey jumper before sniffling. Right, it was time to go watch the movie before Lee began to worry.

Once she was sat down again she picked up her mug from the coffee table, giving her lodger a weak smile before directing her focus towards the television screen but her mind was somewhere else.


	11. Chapter 11

**_This chapter will probably be a tough read. Warnings include suicidal thoughts and verbal and physical abuse. If any of these themes upset you I'd skip to around 3/4 of the page and read from there. Thank you, this was not intended to upset anyone in anyway whatsoever._**

 _"_ _You're worthless," slap, "no one cares about you," kick, "your existence doesn't matter," punch, "they're better off without you in their lives," a knee to her chin._

 _The same words were repeated over and over again as she took the battering. Lucy didn't believe any of it, nothing that he was saying was true. Right? This was the fourth day with the same thing happening and she was tired and aching. The only time she could stay awake was when she was forced to, not wanting to anger him anymore._

 _When he finished he didn't walk away whilst exclaiming insults like he usually did. Instead her chin was grabbed by his hand, his finger squeezing and bruising as she was forced to look him in the eye, through the holes in the black ski hat that covered his face._

 _"_ _Y_ _ou. Are. A. Fucking. Disappointment. To. Everyone. You. Meet," each word was punctuated as Lucy gulped. She couldn't believe she was beginning to believe what he was saying but she had begun questioning herself once he left and before she fell into her painful slumbers. It must be true because surely if people cared enough they would've found her by now, "aren't you?"_

 _"_ _Yes," Lucy whispered as tears pooled in her eyes._

 _"_ _There's a good girl," he taunted as Lucy gulped. Her chin was killing her and she didn't like him being this close to her, it was unnerving. That's when he kissed her._

Lucy woke up in her bed, her hand clutching her duvet as she panted. Choking back a sob she lay back on her bed, her free hand going to run over her face as she tried to keep her tears at bay and control her breathing at the same time. Her ribs were aching with the effort and she was sure she had hit her ankle against something because it was throbbing again.

Once her breathing had somewhat become regular again she made her way out of the bed and towards the kitchen as she groaned silently. Lucy knew she wouldn't be going back to sleep that night and it surprised her how much she wanted Lee at that moment, she trusted him. Yes she flinched when he touched her hand earlier but she'd been doing that to her mother and father as well, she wasn't jumping though. And quite honestly she just wanted a hug.

Groaning, she stretched over the kitchen worktop to grab at her medication. It was hurting. Sighing as she held the small bag contain boxes that carried various tablets she switched the tap on and poured herself some water before sitting on the stool next to the island.

Tipping the contents onto the surface she picked up the first box, staring at it in her hands. Lucy didn't know why she was staring at the small rectangular piece of cardboard. Her mind was refusing to admit as to what was hidden in her thoughts. That it could all be put to a stop. She wouldn't be a burden to anyone and all her nightmares would be put to rest. No more suffering and pain for anyone. Only the welcome relief of darkness. The thoughts quickly left her mind as her hand was covered and the box gently prised away from her hands.

"No, Lucy," it surprised them both that she didn't jump at the contact or the sound of his voice, probably too deep in thought, "no," Lee whispered as he watched Lucy's face fall. The black eye was clearing but scars from cuts remained and the stitches.

"I wasn't going to," she whispered as she stared at the wooden surface in front of her.

"I've been here long enough to see that you were contemplating it," Lee explained as Lucy's bottom lip shook slightly. She was on the verge of a breakdown and Lee came to the conclusion that a breakdown was possibly one of the things she needed at the moment.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes meeting his.

"Don't be sorry. C'mon take your painkillers," he had guessed that she had had another nightmare and the pain had returned and that that was the reason she was in the kitchen at three in the morning.

Lee watched as Lucy swallowed the tablets she needed, taking a sip of water with each one. He noticed that her hands were trembling slightly and that the minor cuts she had received had cleared. A few bruises still remained but they'd turned from a nasty yellowish, purple colour to blue. It had broken his heart slightly as he had watched her staring at the box in her hand. He knew what she was thinking and it hurt him to see that she was hurting that much that she thought that maybe if she killed herself then every problem that existed in the lives around her would be solved. What Lucy didn't know is that her thoughts were far from the truth because his life would crumble around him.

"I'm sorry," Lucy repeated again as a tear escaped her eye, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm…" She didn't finish her sentence as her voice croaked. Lucy had finally given in to her tears as she sobbed into her arms that rested on the table.

"Hey, shh it's ok," Lee whispered, he wanted to comfort her but didn't know how she would react.

It was only when Lucy's hand tugged at his did he step closer as Lucy lifted her head off of the table before burying it into his chest, her hand clutching at his t-shirt. Lee let himself wrap his arms around Lucy as she sobbed, her tears soaking the material of his t-shirt, the wetness slowly reaching his skin.

"It's going to be alright," Lee really hoped so.

"I..I can still feel and smell him. Make it go away! Please make it go away," Lucy exclaimed through tears as Lee closed his eyes, gently rocking them back and forth, trying not to cause Lucy anymore pain as she mumbled some of the events that took place but not all. He could only make out certain words such as beaten, kicked, punched and touched as he let her sobs continue her shoulders shaking.

It was when she had muttered worthless and unwanted did Lee finally understand why she had said what she said when he had first discovered she was having nightmares and the reason why Lucy thought best that the world would be better off without her. The mental abuse that she had received was finally being revealed and he couldn't help the silent anger that built up inside him.

"You're none of those things Lucy. I promise. We all care," Lee knew that she thought that she sounded as if she was pitying herself but she wasn't. What she had gone through was a lot and she needed to stop acting as strong as she felt. He continued to mutter that he cared that everyone cared, that she was loved and meant something until her sobs died down to whimpers.

Pulling back from his embrace Lee had to smile at the red tint her nose had taken to now accompany her slightly embarrassed state, "can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," Lee answered as Lucy gave a small smile before taking hold of his hand as they walked towards her bedroom. Lee grabbed a chair that sat in the corner and sat next to the bed. That's where he stayed until she fell asleep.

An hour later Lee was seething as he replayed what Lucy had said to him as she had broken down. The details he heard, playing around in his mind. When he returned to his bedroom, he kicked his wardrobe and lashed out. By time he was done his room was a mess, the anger having been toned down a bit as he stared at the broken furniture and discarded materials in his room. Punching his wardrobe door one more time he rested his head against it. The bastard needed to be found and dealt with. He cared about Lucy because he loved her.


	12. Chapter 12

"Stitches out today," Lee informed Lucy as he watched her eat her cereal, it was about the only thing he could get her to eat.

"Yeah," Lucy sighed as she ate another spoonful. It meant going out and she wasn't sure if she was ready to go out yet, down the same street.

"I'll stick by you. Don't worry and fresh air would do you some good," he smiled as Lucy nodded her head. They had been more relaxed since Lucy had had her breakdown the other day although she still had nightmares and he stayed with her until she fell asleep, "and Tim's back tomorrow."

"Yeah," she uttered with a nervous smile as Lee smiled back. He knew she was nervous but they needed to get out at some point and a hospital appointment was good as any excuse. Plus, he was going to be there by her side, "I'm going to get ready."

"Ok," Lee replied as he watched her walk out of the kitchen.

Walking into her bedroom Lucy sat on the edge of her bed. She was nervous and frightened but as Lee said it would possibly do her some good to get out of the flat for the day. Lucy was beginning to get bored at looking at the same four walls all the time. Plus, she was running out of things to do and at some point she needed to get back to work and she was fed up of having to answer her parents' phone calls every two seconds.

Lucy's confidence had grown in the past couple of days, Lee had reminded her every day that she was worth it, that he cared, that she was loved and that in no way possible was she a disappointment. So, her thoughts about that were slowly beginning to ebb away from her mind but a few still remained.

Her ankle was better and the pain in her arm had nearly stopped, although her ribs still ached painfully whenever she stretched too much or breathed too heavily. The only feeling that remained completely was that she could still feel and smell him, it still made her feel sick and yet she refused to give her statement to the police. Lee hoped Tim would get through to her tomorrow.

Sighing she decided that she would have to get on with it and began getting dressed. Deciding to wear jeans and a t-shirt with a cardigan to go on top. She didn't want to reveal too much of herself. Once dressed she made her way out to the living room where Lee was waiting for her, their jackets in his hands.

"You ready?" He asked as Lucy took a deep breath before nodding her head, "c'mon then."

As soon as they had left the building Lucy had wrapped her arm around Lee's and kept her body as close as she possibly could to him. Lee didn't mind as he slipped his arm from hers to rest around her waist, it made her feel more secure as they walked down the street. When they passed the alley Lucy buried her head into his shoulder, not wanting to set sight on the dark passage between two buildings.

They got to the hospital quickly enough, both of them sitting down on the blue plastic chairs. Lee was surprised when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. That was slightly odd, Tim was on a plane, Wendy and Geoffrey didn't have his mobile number and Lucy was sat next to him.

"I'm going to take this over there," he informed her as he pointed to a small corner, which allowed Lee to keep an eye on Lucy and for her to make sure he was there. He could see that Lucy was slightly scared by the prospect of being left alone but nodded her head anyway.

"Hello?" Lee asked down the phone as he watched Lucy from where he was standing, she was fiddling with her fingers and kept an eye on whoever walked past.

"Lee?" He hadn't heard the voice that was speaking to him for a while.

"Yes? What do you want?" He muttered as Lucy's eyes met his and he gave her weak smile.

"Is Lucy ok?" Well, that was slightly unexpected.

"She's ok. How do you know anyway?"

"I've been out of the country for a while and when I got back I saw it in the paper," was the explanation he received down the phone. How on earth did he get his number anyway? "Tim gave me your number." That explained that then.

"Yeah she's fine. Bit bruised but otherwise she's fine," he didn't want to say that she was in a terrible state but getting better. He couldn't say that, it would be unfair on Lucy and she was better, even if it was a little bit.

"Oh good. Send her my love," he wasn't going to, "and I'll see you two around at some point."

"Yeah bye," Lee really wanted for the conversation to end, he didn't like the man.

"And Lee."

"Yeah?"

"It was good speaking to you," yeah sure mate.

"You too," Lee lied as he hung up his phone, putting it back in his pocket before making her way back towards Lucy who looked relieved that he was returning. He wasn't going to tell her who was on the phone, she didn't need to know.

"Who was it?" Lucy questioned, curiosity in her eyes.

"Nothing important. Just one of those sale calls," he lied as Lucy nodded her head. She seemed to believe it anyway, "told them where to stick their free gas boiler servicing," Lucy chuckled at that which in return Lee smiled. She hadn't laughed for a while.

"Where was that then?"

"Up their arse," he muttered just as Lucy's name was called out, she was smiling and Lee hadn't found a sight better than that in his life.

"So, it was no one important on the phone?" Lucy questioned again as she took hold of Lee's hand, the pair of them making their way towards the nurses.

"It was no one," Lee reassured her. It was no one important anyway.

Little did he know he'd just spoken to Lucy's attacker…


	13. Chapter 13

"Don't scare her. We've made progress," Lee warned Tim as they stood in the kitchen. Lucy was in the shower and Lee knew she took a while since she'd been kidnapped and that she was probably scrubbing herself red raw at the moment.

"I won't. I'm her brother," Tim argued back as Lee rolled his eyes. That wasn't the point. If he said one thing wrong it could damage the progress they had made and Lucy would be basically back to square one.

"Just make sure you don't upset her," Lee said softly as Tim scrunched up his face. He knew Lee liked Lucy but he didn't realise he was in love with her, "it's tough as it is."

"I was only going to persuade her to go to the police not bring up memories," Tim muttered back as they heard footsteps outside the kitchen door.

Lucy entered then, damp hair and a small smile on her face when she saw Tim, who was walking towards her with his arms open. Lucy flinched slightly at the contact, which she thought was stupid because it was only her brother. When they had pulled away from each other she smiled at Lee who smiled back although he could see the skin by her neck was red and now covered the fading bruises.

"I'm going to go to the shop," Lee announced as Lucys' eyes widened slightly, "Tim will look after you."

"Ok," Lucy agreed, she was being stupid, "I made a list of things we need," Lucy informed him as he nodded his head before exiting the kitchen, leaving Tim and Lucy alone.

"How are you?" Tim questioned gently as Lucy shrugged her shoulders, a slightly grim expression on her face as she fiddled with the bottom of her top.

"I'm fine," she replied falsely.

"Is Lee looking after you?" He knows the answer but he just wanted to make sure that Lucy felt safe and comfortable with him.

"He's been great," Lucy smiled as she made herself a mug of tea, "seriously Tim, I trust him."

"I know you do," he sighed as he gave Lucy a small smile. That had confirmed it for him they loved each other but he knew now wasn't a good time for them to begin a relationship. Lucy was still vulnerable and fragile and Lee was probably still too scared to even admit his feelings.

"How's Daisy?" Lucy questioned and Tim knew she wanted to change the subject.

"Good. Tired so she'll visit later on," he informed her as Lucy nodded, "why haven't you gone to the police?" Tim had thought that it was probably best for him to just come out and say.

"Because I don't want to," Lucy answered as she glared at her older brother.

"Why? What's going to happen if that man does it to another person? You could stop it," he knew it was mean but guilt tripping her into doing it might be the only option he's got.

"He won't," she really didn't want to speak about this.

"How do you know?" Tim asked very much like a child as Lucy straightened her back to look him in the eye as she spoke.

"Because I know him," that put Tim off balance slightly.

"What?" He whispered as Lucy took in a deep breath. This was hard, she hadn't even told Lee that she knew him and yet she was telling Tim because she didn't want him nagging her to go to the police.

"I know him and he wanted revenge so he got it," Lucy explained. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes as she watched Tim's mouth open with shock.

"Then you need to go tell the police!" Tim exclaimed as Lucy shook her head.

"No Tim," her voice was firm although it sounded slightly shaky to her.

And with that Lucy barged out of the kitchen, past Lee who had returned because he had forgotten his wallet and into the hallway leading towards her bedroom. Closing the door behind her she sighed as she made her way over towards her bed, sitting with her back to her headboard as she sobbed.

 _Lucy took a deep breath as the doors opened again, she was weak and was struggling not to let fatigue take over. At this point in time she couldn't care less whether she received another kick or slap, it might just knock her out and let her be free of pain for a while. That isn't what happened._

 _She wasn't surprised when the hand grabbed at her jaw, squeezing like it had done before as he forced to look at him. She couldn't do anything as her dress was ripped apart in various places, it then being hiked up to rest at the top of her thighs, with his other hand, she knew what was going to happen and she fought to keep the bile rising in her throat at bay. If she was sick over him then he would just be angrier with her._

 _She gulped as she felt the gloved hand land on her thigh, squeezing her tightly as she was ordered to open her eyes again. Lucy could see the smirk he wore as she sobbed, muttering no and stop through the material that had been wrapped around her head and rested in her mouth._

 _"_ _You're going to be a good girl and obey," he whispered menacingly as Lucy attempted to shake her head, the hand on her jaw tightening, "you will Lucy." That was the first time the man had said her name. How did he know that? It wasn't until the hand left her thigh to remove his mask did Lucy gasp, her sobs getting harder as she shook her head, his hands returning to her legs. This just made everything worse. She knew him._

"Lucy, snap out of it," Lee whispered as he knelt in front of her on the bed, trying to shake her from the daydream she had suddenly fallen into.

Lee had immediately rushed after her as she stormed into her bedroom, Tim close behind. He patiently stood outside as he heard her sob, sending Tim an angry glare as he mumbled what Lucy had told him. It just made Lee angrier with whoever did this to her, to be able to reduce her from being strong and outspoken to vulnerable and paranoid. It was when the sobs suddenly stopped and Lucy started muttering to herself did Lee barge through the door, this was the first time that she had gone like this whilst she was awake and it scared him more now than when she did it when she slept.

"Luce, focus on my voice. C'mon snap out of it," he sighed when Lucys' eyes snapped up to meet his but they still looked like she wasn't entirely there, "Lucy."

Lee knew she wasn't back when she started hitting him and pushing him on his chest telling him to stop and to go away. Carefully he grabbed hold of her arms, trying not to spook her further as he spoke her name again. This time it worked as she fell into tears again, burying her head in his shoulder as she muttered that she was sorry. Lee's hands rubbing circles on her back. Tim watched on from the doorway, a stricken expression of grief and shock on his face.

"It's alright Lucy. Everything will be ok," he hoped that were the case as he cast a glance over his shoulder to look at Tim.


	14. Chapter 14

**Last chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed etc. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the story although it was a tough read.**

Later that night after Tim had left, Daisy had visited and her parents had made their daily phone call Lucy had made her excuses and gone to bed. Lee had gone to his own bed soon after. Lucy was surprised when she felt her eyes begin to droop as her head hit the pillow. Forcing them open she sighed, she wouldn't go to sleep. The nightmares would be back and she had already had to deal with one that morning.

So, she sat up in bed and tried to occupy herself as she played absentmindedly on her iPad. She should've asked Lee to stay with her until she fell asleep, that way she would have had someone to talk to. Yet, she had stopped herself, she was becoming too dependent on him and too clingy. Lucy had even told him so herself earlier on but he had shook his head and said that it didn't matter, that she was going through a tough time and that he was more than happy to look after her.

Lee had honestly been great during the past few months. He had explained to her the other night when she had asked about why he looked like shit after he had found her and he replied honestly saying he hadn't stopped looking. That he had had a minimal amount of sleep because he wanted to find her because he missed her and wanted to have her safe again, in the flat. That had made Lucy smile at the time. Lee had changed the subject then by telling her some jokes, which she couldn't help but laugh at. She might have been wary around him to begin with but now her trust for him had grown even more.

Lucy wasn't at all surprised when her thoughts then drifted to her lodger. This had been an increasing occurrence as she tried not to fall asleep. Recently she had found herself falling in love with him but she wasn't ready to admit it, it was too soon. If she had a relationship with Lee she knew that at some point they would end up being intimate but she wouldn't be ready to do that for a while, even if she trusted him. Lucy didn't want to string him along and she would be if they were together. That was the last thought she had before she drifted off to sleep.

 _Lucy inwardly sighed as the container doors shut close after him again, a sob was trying to escape her throat but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry. Lucy groaned as she shuffled slightly, trying to get her dress back into the same position it once had been._

 _Lucy tried to shake the events of what had happened again from her throat, the more she thought about it the more it made her feel sick and she didn't want that to happen in the container. She felt dirtier than she had been the past couple of weeks and she felt used and useless. Lucy knew who it was and he had whispered in her ear once as his hands made a trail up her thighs for what felt like the thousandth time that week that it was revenge, that she deserved it because she hadn't chosen him. Kicking her until she faked passing out. Then he had said bye._

 _When the container doors opened a couple of days later she pressed herself into the corner. She wouldn't cope if she had to go through it again, she was still sore and aching. When a hand touched her shoulder she had flinched violently although the touch had felt different. As soon as she heard Lee speak she couldn't quite believe it, not until he spoke again and she allowed herself to face him. Lucy hadn't been happier for a while at the time but then she remembered she wasn't worth it and the happiness of seeing her lodger faded._

Lucy woke up with a start, the only difference being her heart wasn't pounding and she didn't cry. Then she realised her dreams were playing in a sequence, from beginning to end and hopefully after this one her nightmares would stop.

Clambering out of bed she made her way to Lee's bedroom. Although it wasn't the worse nightmare she'd had over the past few weeks she still felt unnerved and as cheesy as it sounded Lee made her feel better.

Slowly opening the door she padded her way over towards his bed, where he was sleeping in the middle on his back, his mouth hanging open as gentle snores escaped his mouth. Lucy tried to supress a giggle as she sat down on the edge of the bed, watching him startle awake at the shift.

"Lucy?" He muttered, "Nightmare?"

"Sort of," she uttered as she watched him pull up one side of his duvet, he probably wasn't even aware he was doing it.

"Climb in," he instructed as Lucy shifted so she could crawl underneath the duvet so she was in bed with him, "you ok?"

"I'm fine," she answered as she gingerly rested her head on his shoulder, her arm wrapping around his waist, "night."

"Night, love," he mumbled half asleep as Lucy blushed, a smile forming on her lips. She fell asleep easily then as she snuggled into Lee's warmth. He was comforting and she felt safe.

When she woke up early in the morning she had concluded that it was one of the best night's sleep she had had in ages. They had somehow changed positions in their sleep, Lee spooned behind her as her hand clung to his arm, her casted arm resting in front of her. It surprised her how comfortable and at ease she felt in that position with him.

Sighing she gently turned over and shifted so her face was in front of his, from here she could make out every detail there as her hand unconsciously smoothed his bed hair. She knew it was slightly creepy but she couldn't help it as she pressed her lips to Lee's gently for a brief second, she couldn't help herself. Lucy jumped when his eyes snapped open.

"Morning," he replied with a cheeky grin as Lucy blushed before burying her head under his chin.

"Morning," she mumbled as she felt Lee's chuckle vibrate through his chest, he had been awake the whole time. Lucy smiled guiltily to herself as she felt him pull her as close as possible, his arms keeping her secure.

Lucy then concluded that if she could wake up every morning to Lee's face then maybe Scott Perry's would erase itself from her mind.


End file.
